'As well as being a masterful story, The Accord is a feat of daring and accomplished composition... Romantic, edgy, moving, tight and fast, The Accord is Keith Brooke on incandescent form... at his absolute best.'—Interzone

Bibliography: short fiction

"A Flicker in the Deep"(December 2016. Mementoes, Newcon Press.)A new science-fiction piece, exclusive to my collection, Mementoes. This one is the story of a man drawn back into the conflicts of his past, returning to a planet where he had left behind friends and more. A story that dips back into the Fermi Paradox, as many of my more recent SF pieces have done.

"Rewrites"(May 2016. Postscripts.)Returning to full-time writing, and so having the time to write stories on spec, for some reason my mind turned to horror. I worked in this genre a lot back in the early days, and have a collection of horror stories out, but at some point my dark output dwindled. I was really pleased with this one, a particularly poignant and personal story of loss and fragile mental states. Inspired by the foolish act of Googling your own symptoms...

"Beyond the Heliopause" by Keith Brooke and Eric Brown(January 2016. Lightspeed.)Lovely to be working with Eric again! This one asks What's really out there, and is accompanied by an author spotlight where Eric and I discuss the story's background, collaboration, and more. Also selected for reprint in Best of British Science Fiction 2016, edited by Donna Bond.

"The End of the World" by Keith Brooke and Eric Brown(August 2014. Paradox edited by Ian Whates, NewCon Press.)This one was written for an anthology exploring the Fermi Paradox, which boils down to a question of if aliens are out there then why the hell haven't we seen any sign of them? In early 2014 Eric and I got back into the collaboration groove in a serious way, with two stories and a novella drafted so far.

"Memento 4: A Cleansing"(January 2014. Aethernet.)Serial fiction: Memento consists of four episodes of a story as an apparently placid planet's Gaian biosphere belatedly responds to human colonisation.

"Memento 3: To End All Storms"(December 2013. Aethernet.)Serial fiction: Memento consists of four episodes of a story as an apparently placid planet's Gaian biosphere belatedly responds to human colonisation.

"Memento 2: There Came a Storm"(November 2013. Aethernet.)Serial fiction: Memento consists of four episodes of a story as an apparently placid planet's Gaian biosphere belatedly responds to human colonisation.

"Memento 1: From Out of a Blue, Blue Sky"(October 2013. Aethernet.)Serial fiction: Memento consists of four episodes of a story as an apparently placid planet's Gaian biosphere belatedly responds to human colonisation.

"War 3.01"(January 2012. Lightspeed.)Related to the story "LikeMe", this is set in a near-future immersed in social media and augmented reality. When the next world war strikes, how will it be fought, and will we even notice? War as a consumer-driven, A/B-tested, near-instantaneous phenomenon. This one is included in what looks like being a landmark anthology of war stories, called, appropriately enough, War Stories, published in October 2014, and reprinted in the Cyberpunk anniversary issue of Hayakawa's SF Magazine in Japan (November 2014). Shortlisted for the 2015 Seiun Award.

"Eternity's Children" by Keith Brooke and Eric Brown(November 2011. Solaris Rising: The New Solaris Book of Science edited by Ian Whates, Solaris Books.)Good to be collaborating with Eric again. When you compile collaborations into a collection, there's always a danger that you're drawing a line under the act of collaborating, and I think that's been the case with Eric. We need to remind ourselves to do more!

"Imago"(June 2011. Postscripts.)A longish story about a man who has singlehandedly wiped out most of an alien race and his duplicate, who is sent to investigate. I think this is the first time I've tackled aliens face-on in around twenty years as an SF writer.

"Faking It"(December 2010. Faking It: Accounts of the General Genetics Corp, infinity plus. Collected in Faking It: Accounts of the General Genetics Corporation.)Original story in the eponymous collection of tales about a company that will stop at nothing to get its own way. This is my capitalism-as-drug-fuelled-sex-cult story. Everyone has one of those, right?

"Protection"(December 2010. Segue: Into the strange, infinity plus. Collected in Segue: Into the strange.)Original story for this ebook collection. Unusually for me, this one came from a single, crystal-clear image from a dream: a young couple fleeing along a clifftop path. The only other thing I recalled when I woke was the sense of urgency, the need to escape; there was something enthralling in that tension between such a beautiful scene and the undercurrent of terror, and I knew I had to explore it further.

"The Horseman of Two Torrents, or, The Galloping Adventurer and the Vindictive Bitch-Hag Who Made Him Like This"(December 2010. Memesis: Modifiction and other strange changes, infinity plus. Collected in Memesis: Modifiction and other strange changes.)Original story for this ebook collection. An episode from a fantasy novel project that that came from SF short story 'Riding the Serpent's Back'.

"likeMe"(September 2010. Nature.)A short-short in a near-future where social networking is with us all the time. No-one is a stranger when you immediately know how much they are like you... Selected for the Futures 2 anthology, published by Nature.

"Last Drink Bird Head"(July 2010. Last Drink Bird Head edited by Jeff and Ann VanderMeer, Ministry of Whimsy Press.)This very short story was written for Jeff and Ann's charity anthology in aid of ProLiteracy. The only guidance contributors were given was 'What is Last Drink Bird Head?' The result? Last Drink Bird Head is a blues musician, a performance artist, a type of alcohol, a town in Texas, and even a song sung by girl scouts in Antarctica. Other contributors include Peter Straub, Gene Wolfe, Hal Duncan, Jeffrey Ford, Rikki Ducornet, Holly Phillips, Stephen R Donaldson, KJ Bishop, Michael Swanwick, Ellen Kushner, Jay Lake, Liz Williams and Tanith Lee.

"Sussed"(April 2010. Conflicts edited by Ian Whates, Newcon Press.)My first short story in far too long. A story about escaping from a war-zone, but - this being written for an anthology with the theme of conflict - that escape could only lead deeper into the conflict...

"Sweats"(January 2009. We Think, Therefore We Are edited by Peter Crowther, DAW books.)I was right: there's a whole set of stories, or a novel, in this! 'Sweats' is the third Accord story I've written, although chronologically second in the sequence. It's the story of an assassin downloaded into a host body in order to carry out a hit - just who is guilty of murder when all the forensics point to the host body and the guiding assassin persona may not be all it appears? Republished as a standalone ebook by infinite press.

"Hannah"(October 2008. Extraordinary Engines: the definitive steampunk edited by Nick Gevers, Solaris Books. Collected in Segue: Into the strange.)As the title of the anthology suggests, I've committed steampunk in this tale of advanced forensic medicine set in Victorian London.

"The Man Who Built Heaven"(August 2008. Postscripts. Collected in Faking It: Accounts of the General Genetics Corporation.)This is another story in the Accord sequence - in fact its working title was 'The Architect of Accord'. It's the story of the man who designed and built the Accord, a consensual reality where people live on after death. I'm pretty sure there's a novel in this, or at least a whole set of stories.

"In Transit" by Keith Brooke and Eric Brown(April 2007. Parallax View, Immanion Press. Collected in Parallax View.)A new novella written exclusively for the new edition of our collaborative collection. Great to be writing with Eric again after far too long a break. Eric and I have discussed expanding this into a novel one day.

"The Accord"(February 2007. The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction edited by George Mann, Solaris Books.)Reprinted in The Year's Best Science Fiction: 25th Annual Collection, edited by Gardner Dozois (St Martin's Press, 2008), and Clarkesworld (July 2015). This was my first piece of short fiction in far too long. It was hard getting into the short stuff again, but very rewarding. With this one I decided to write something unlike I'd ever done before, so it's far far future, which is an area I really haven't explored. Somewhat disturbingly, I liked the backdrop so much I think there's a novel here, so this might form the basis of my next-but-one adult SF novel. Great review at Sci Fi Weekly: "...some of the best science fiction to be found anywhere ... a far-future story that evokes the best of Zelazny, Vance and Silverberg."

"Doctor Bull's Intervention"(March 2005. The Mammoth Book of New Jules Verne Stories edited by Mike Ashley and Eric Brown, Constable and Robinson, UK; Carroll and Graf, US. Collected in Segue: Into the strange.)I had a lot of fun with this! A classic Verne story updated, pulled apart, and put back together again. With added football. And cakes.

"A Different Sky"(January 2005. Constellations edited by Peter Crowther, DAW books. Collected in Liberty Spin: Tales of scientifiction.)Another in Pete's excellent series of anthologies, following on from Moon Shots and Mars Probes. The theme this time is constellations - something to do with stars - and my take on it was to work up a story from the idea that while a star in a night sky may seem a tiny, insignificant speck, it could also be central to the lives of billions. So the events that drive the action in this story are vast and almost entirely off-stage, both outside the scope of the story and the ability of its protagonists to really understand - the story is that insignificant speck, but its events are also central to those affected. It's only a short story, but I think this is probably the most ambitious thing I've written. I think there's a novel here, too...

"Embrace"(May 2004. Nemonymous #4. Collected in Embrace: Tales from the dark side.)Nemo is an exceptional magazine, in many ways. Its most distinctive feature is its approach to labelling, or rather, not labelling, its contents: each story has a title, but no author attribution. (The submission process is anonymous, too.) The naming follows some time after publication, which is why I was unable to add this entry until January 2005. Here's what I wrote in my delayed author bio: "I write as me, I write as Nick Gifford, so why not write as nobody? Or at least a temporary nobody. Nemonymous is a marvel, and now I'm a small part of that marvel, which feels rather good."

"The Art of Self-Abuse"(July 2003. Strange Pleasures 2 edited by John Grant and Dave Hutchinson, Cosmos BooksA time travel story that zips back a. Collected in Memesis: Modifiction and other strange changes.)A time travel story that zips back and forth between near futures and near pasts but is mostly set around the time of the UK miners' strike of the mid 1980s. If Science Fiction Age had survived one more issue this story would have appeared there...

"Welcome to the Green Planet"(June 2002. Interzone #180. Collected in Liberty Spin: Tales of scientifiction.)Translated into Portuguese by Jorge Candeias as 'Bem-vindos ao Planeta Verde' for the e-book O Planeta das Traseiras, August 2002. What if the chemical/mineral balance of planets in the inner Solar System had been just a little different? The Earth too rich in resources, making the rush to techno-doom even faster; Mars just a little more friendly to life. A fairly short piece that blatantly misquotes Asimov, Lovelock et al. This marks almost exactly two years since my last Interzone story - I've been writing far less short fiction lately, and what I do write isn't really Interzone fare.

"What She Wanted"(January 2002. Redsine #7 edited by Trent Jamieson and Garry Nurrish. Collected in Embrace: Tales from the dark side.)A short horror story about longing and creativity. I went to Cornwall in 1999 for the solar eclipse and I came away knowing that I just had to write about the place. This story is the result. I find that stories inspired by a particular place (like a number of stories I've set in a fictionalised version of the town where I grew up) tend to be rather dark and creepy. I expect that says something about me...

"Genetopia"(October 2001. Future Orbits. Collected in Segue: Into the strange.)A self-contained short story, which is also an episode in the novel in slightly different form, appeared in Future Orbits in October 2001 - at least in part to stake a claim on the title, which seems too good to have not been used by anyone else yet.

"Memesis"(August 2001. Strange Pleasures edited by Sean Wallace, Cosmos Books. Collected in Memesis: Modifiction and other strange changes.)A dour, dark SF tale about the morality of interfering in the lives of others: how it can be so easy to make decisions on the behalf of others which we may not make for ourselves. I don't do aliens often, so this is a rarity; even here, they loom in the backdrop rather than taking centre stage. This story has been selected for an Honourable Mention by Ellen Datlow in Year's Best Fantasy and Horror.

"Wooden Boys Don't Bleed'" by Keith Brooke and Lawrence Dyer and DF Lewis(August 2001. Strange Pleasures edited by Sean Wallace, Cosmos Books.)Like the other stories I've written with my Essex neighbours Lawrence and Des, this was triggered by one of our seaside walks - this time in Walton-on-the-Naze, where we saw, among other things, the room above a chip shop where Des was conceived... 'Wooden Boys' is a story of the power of place and memory, and guilt. Dark secrets loom large. Needless to say, it's another weird one...

"Visitors" by Keith Brooke and Lawrence Dyer and DF Lewis(December 2000. Aphelion.)Another strange collaboration set in a weird version of the town in which I grew up.

"Liberty Spin"(August 2000. Interzone #158. Collected in Liberty Spin: Tales of scientifiction.)A chapter in Expatria Incorporated features a space habitat that has lost its spin: a wild, zero-gee ecosystem has developed in its interior wilderness, yet plans are afoot to spin it up again and clean it out. The imagery, and the characters' shock that the ecosystem could so wantonly be destroyed, has stuck with me for a long time. So much so that I had to come back and write about the scenario again: 'Liberty Spin' takes a similar conflict as its central idea and explores its implications a bit more closely. About as close to hard sf as I ever get, although as usual with me, it's still character-based sf. Rich Horton's Locus review says, "I felt surprised at almost every turn... I think this is the best story I've seen from Keith Brooke

".zipped"(April 2000. Spectrum SF 2. Collected in Liberty Spin: Tales of scientifiction.)A short, fragmentary story about memory and longing. A couple of years ago I went to a conference in Amsterdam, a city that cries out to be written about. This is my first literary visit to the city, but probably won't be my last.

"Fruit of the Flotsam" by Keith Brooke and Lawrence Dyer and DF Lewis(April 2000. Oasis(US) and Psychotrope (UK).)A strange, strange story about a strange, strange place, written by three strange, strange writers... Lawrence, Des and I live within a few miles of each other on the North-East Essex coast and we get together every so often to talk writers' talk. In October we met at a place called Jaywick: a run-down shanty-town of holiday homes that have become permanently settled. Going to Jaywick is like stepping into the Third World, or the 1930s, with an odd mixture of 1990 thrown in for good measure. The place made a big impression on the three of us and we just had to write about it.

"Mind's Eye" by Keith Brooke and Eric Brown(February 2000. Spectrum SF 1. Collected in Parallax View.)Another collaboration - you might gather from this that I've been finding it difficult to write new material recently; it's much easier with a collaborator to prompt me into action. In this one, a kid from the slums is going up in the world. Quite literally. In his Foundation review of PV, Simon Ings says the story "...uses a cyberpunk aesthetic to measure the gap between rich and poor, but has the bravery not to bridge that gap with comforting MacGuffins, the way Gibson notoriously did."

"The Denebian Cycle" by Keith Brooke and Eric Brown(February 2000. Interzone#152. Collected in Parallax View.)A big and grim planetary adventure. We talked about the writing of this story in our double interview in Interzone #145: we shut ourselves away in a room and brainstormed for a couple of hours until we had a story that just had to be written, finishing up with something neither of us could have written alone. An exhilarating experience.

"The Flight of the Oh Carrollian" by Keith Brooke and Eric Brown(July 1999. Interzone #145. Collected in Parallax View.)A collaboration, published in the same issue as a Brooke'n'Brown interview.

"Therapy"(June 1999. Peeping Tom #33.)A nasty little horror story, written specially for the magazine. Praised in the following issue by Paul Weller: 'The best item I feel, by far, in PT33 was Keith Brooke's "Therapy", well written, believable and compelling.' Described by another reader as 'uncomfortable and unpleasant reading'.

"The Domegame and Mr P"(December 1998. Aboriginal Science Fiction. Collected in Memesis: Modifiction and other strange changes.)This is an old one: written in 1990, sold to Far Point in 1991, and finally, when Far Point folded, the story sold to Aboriginal in 1993 and subsequently waited over four years for publication. It was, however, good to see Aboriginal revived after its various difficulties over recent years.

"Head Shots"(November 1998. Odyssey. Collected in Segue: Into the strange.)(I didn't know quite when they published this as they never told me, never sent me a contributor's copy and, needless to say, didn't pay either... According to ISFDB it was November 1998, though). Republished online at The Ministry of Whimsy. Republished as a standalone ebook in the infinity plus singles series. This started out as a kind of Princess Di thing: an alternate present day story about telepathic paparazzi hounding the famous. I was rather pleased with it when I finished it, which probably means no-one else will be...

"Segue"(June 1998. Interzone #132. Collected in Segue: Into the strange.)A weird fantasy, loosely connected to the earlier 'Resting Place' -- I was convinced they'd turn it down as too off-beat, but I'm delighted it was accepted. Reprinted in Past Future Present, 2011.

"Resting Place"(February 1998. Interzone #128. Collected in Embrace: Tales from the dark side.)An odd Himalayan fantasy. Come to think of it, most of my fantasies are a little bit odd...

"Under Antares" by Keith Brooke and Eric Brown(December 1997. Interzone #126. Collected in Parallax View.)The fourth story we wrote together, and one of my favourites. Mark Kelly of Locus wasn't so keen: he described it as 'a formula collection of planetary romance clichés'... But what do critics know?

"Sugar and Spice" by Keith Brooke and Eric Brown(October 1996. Interzone #112. Collected in Parallax View.)In his Foundation review of PV, Simon Ings says, "...this is a tale told by a man who, page by page, reveals his own mental habits ... long after the story is over, this man, with his mordant life and heavy heart, lives on."

"Appassionata" by Keith Brooke and Eric Brown(July 1996. Interzone #109. Collected in Parallax View.)Reprinted in the 10th volume of the stylish French anthology series CyberDreams in early 1997. The first Brooke'n'Brown collaboration.

"The Real Thing"(July 1996. The Edge. Collected in Faking It: Accounts of the General Genetics Corporation.)Reprinted in Dream Creation Inc, February 1997. Near future slice-of-life. This could be a GenGen story -- it's certainly in that style -- but I'm afraid I can't quite remember... Let's take a plunge and say that it is.

"The People of the Sea"(May 1996. Interzone #107. Collected in Segue: Into the strange.)Reprinted in The Ant-men of Tibet, and other stories, a Best of Interzone anthology edited by David Pringle, Big Engine, July 2001. An alternate history of 18th century Harwich, featuring armed mermaids and a possible explanation for the American Revolution. Picked out in the Vector review of Ant-men... as one of the two highlights of the anthology: "Particularly impressive ... with its atmospheric evocation of the past and alternative future of the people of the Essex coast"; (with Eric Brown's 'Vulpheous') "...both pieces demonstrate their authors' considerable strengths, most recently displayed in their collaborative collection Parallax View." I like reviews like that! Republished as a standalone ebook by infinite press.

"Brain Jive"(November 1995. The Edge.)An early story, accepted in 1989 and rather embarrasingly published in 1995...

"The Story of my Life"(November 1995. Broadsword #2. Collected in Embrace: Tales from the dark side.)A very personal darkish fantasy, set in a distorted version of the town where I grew up.

"Debbs is Back"(October 1995. Peeping Tom. Collected in Embrace: Tales from the dark side.)Straight horror story set in a warped version of the town where I grew up. This one sold to Fantasy Tales shortly before they folded.

"Beside the Sea"(August 1995. Beyond #3. Collected in Memesis: Modifiction and other strange changes.)My fiftieth short story. This is the only story that has ever come to me in a dream, or rather, two dreams. I woke up with the first dream still in my head, and as I thought about it the whole thing came back to me in a rush: it was almost a complete story, with plot, characters, internal consistency. But as I thought about it I realised there were some major gaps. I dozed off and the next time I woke I realised I'd had another version of the dream, where my subconscious had reworked it to solve the earlier problems. If only it always happened like that. Republished as a standalone ebook by Newcon Press, July 2011.

"Skin"(January 1995. Peeping Tom. Collected in Embrace: Tales from the dark side.)One of my favourites. Reprinted in The Dark Heart of Peeping Tom (edited by Terry Grimwood) in 2015.

"Professionals"(August 1994. Interzone #86. Collected in Faking It: Accounts of the General Genetics Corporation.)Reprinted in The Mammoth Book of Future Cops, edited by Maxim Jakubowski (April 2003: Constable-Robinson, UK; Carroll and Graf, US). A story set in a near-future version of the Essex port where I grew up; features Christian Taylor, the private eye from 'Easy Never Pays'. I suppose this must be a GenGen story, too, although I don't think the company is named anywhere...

"Easy Never Pays"(June 1994. Interzone #84. Collected in Faking It: Accounts of the General Genetics Corporation.)A near-future thriller which grew into a novel I never managed to sell; features Christian Taylor, a screwed up private eye for whom I have a particular soft spot. A GenGen story.

"Jurassic and the Great Tree"(December 1992. Interzone #66. Collected in Liberty Spin: Tales of scientifiction.)Reprinted in Tomorrow 7, November 1993. Republished as a standalone ebook in the infinity plus singles series. An Interstitial Space story. In his Foundation review of PV, Simon Ings says, "'Jurassic and the Great Tree', with its brilliant and remorseless anthropological logic, resembles Michael Bishop at his best. But that's because it's well-argued anthropology, rather than well-copied Bishop."

"Count Carraldo and the Penitent Dominic"(March 1992. Villains edited by Mary Gentle and Roz Kaveney, Penguin Roc.)Shared world fantasy where the good guys just don't stand a chance.

"Caroline"(March 1991. Skeleton Crew. Collected in Embrace: Tales from the dark side.)They never paid me for this one, or even told me they published it... (although I know they did: I found a copy in WH Smith's.

"Mother"(June 1990. Interzone #37. Collected in Embrace: Tales from the dark side.)One of my favourites. Tied with Lisa Tuttle's splendid 'Lizard Lust' for last place in the following year's Interzone readers' poll.

"Kismet"(December 1989. Dream #22.)The second story I wrote after deciding to try to be an author; I still think it could be extended into a decent young adult novel. Maybe one day.

"Passion Play"(September 1989. Other Edens 3 edited by Christopher Evans and Robert Holdstock, Unwin Hyman. Collected in Segue: Into the strange.)Republished in Satellite Feedback, 1999. One of my first big breaks, and another story to which I'm still very attached.

"Adrenotropic Man"(July 1989. Interzone #30. Collected in Faking It: Accounts of the General Genetics Corporation.)My first professional sale (actually accepted 18 months earlier), and the first story I produced when I started writing full-time. 'Adrenotropic Man' tells the story of GenGen, a sinister corporation which loomed in the background of a lot of my near-future stories over the next few years, culminating in the Expatria novels.

"Dreaming"(July 1989. Edge Detector #2.)

"The Fifth Freedom"(December 1988. Dream #18.)

Stories forthcoming: 0Stories published: 83

The Unlikely World of Faraway Frankie

Frankie is a boy who retreats from the harsh struggles of day-to-day life into daydreaming. But then... as Frankie's humiliations mount up, more and more elements from his faraway fantasy world start to appear in the real one. Can he use his imaginary world to escape? Can he learn how to construct the world around him from his dreams, and so get some kind of control over his life?

You're not paranoid if they really are after you. Someone is messing with Liam's world. All the rules have changed and his life has unravelled completely. What he does know is that someone is watching him. There are no bystanders in this terrifying game. "An exciting, fast paced book that will have you on the edge of your seat until the last page." Word Up

Explores the sub-genres of science fiction from the perspectives of a dozen top SF authors, combining a critical viewpoint with exploration of the challenges and opportunities facing authors working in SF today.

Transported to a world inhabited by vampires, Ben befriends a girl called Rachel. She takes him to her farm to prove she's not like the other vampires, but that's when he discovers a terrible secret. And why is the book called Piggies? That's the worst horror of all. "Ingenious... this chilling story reads with all the power and demented logic of a thoroughly bad dream." The Independent

Shortlisted for the Philip K Dick Award. (Note: the US title is Harmony; elsewhere it's alt.human.) The aliens are here. They always have been. And now, one by one, they're destroying our cities. In a world where nothing is as it seems, where humans are segregated and aliens can sing realities and tear worlds apart, a ragged band of survivors may be the only hope for humankind.

An old era is drawing to a close, a new era about to begin, and the great mage Donn has passed on his Talents to a new generation. When a rogue church leader threatens to set loose wild powers, Donn's children must oppose him but, also, they must contend with Donn himself: the old mage has not finished with his children yet. A fantasy epic of revolution, jealousy and earth-shattering magic.

When Noah and Priscilla escape into the Accord, Priscilla's murderous husband plots to destroy the whole Accord and them with it. Where does the pursuit of revenge stop for immortals in an eternal world?

An old era is drawing to a close, a new era about to begin, and the great mage Donn has passed on his Talents to a new generation. When a rogue church leader threatens to set loose wild powers, Donn's children must oppose him but, also, they must contend with Donn himself: the old mage has not finished with his children yet. A fantasy epic of revolution, jealousy and earth-shattering magic.

As a TV crew prepares to film the story of the lost prince's tomb, 12-year-old Jools Bone and his new friends Ned, Helen and Billy face a life and death rush to prevent history repeating itself. A dark and wickedly funny story by "the king of children's horror" (Sunday Express).

Tomorrow: a future only you can see; a future only you can save... Tomorrow: an emotion- and time-tangled thriller set in the War Against Chronological Terror. Tomorrow: when three teenagers may have the power to save or destroy a world that is yet to be.

A lost colony, rediscovered by descendants of its original investors... When the expedition from the Holy Corporation of GenGen arrives on Expatria, for some it looks like salvation from a backward-looking, superstition-ridden society, but for others, it looks suspiciously like an invasion. "In the recognized front ranks of SF writers" Locus

Shortlisted for the Philip K Dick Award. (Note: the US title is Harmony; elsewhere it's alt.human.) The aliens are here. They always have been. And now, one by one, they're destroying our cities. In a world where nothing is as it seems, where humans are segregated and aliens can sing realities and tear worlds apart, a ragged band of survivors may be the only hope for humankind.

Explores the sub-genres of science fiction from the perspectives of a dozen top SF authors, combining a critical viewpoint with exploration of the challenges and opportunities facing authors working in SF today.

Multiple personalities fighting for control of a single body; a single personality constantly splitting and reinventing itself and its past; a Mars that never was; an interstellar war that has always been.

Frankie is a boy who retreats from the harsh struggles of day-to-day life into daydreaming. But then... as Frankie's humiliations mount up, more and more elements from his faraway fantasy world start to appear in the real one. Can he use his imaginary world to escape? Can he learn how to construct the world around him from his dreams, and so get some kind of control over his life?

When Noah and Priscilla escape into the Accord, Priscilla's murderous husband plots to destroy the whole Accord and them with it. Where does the pursuit of revenge stop for immortals in an eternal world?

You're not paranoid if they really are after you. Someone is messing with Liam's world. All the rules have changed and his life has unravelled completely. What he does know is that someone is watching him. There are no bystanders in this terrifying game. "An exciting, fast paced book that will have you on the edge of your seat until the last page." Word Up

The wilds: a world where genes mutate and migrate between species through plague and fever, but that's where Flint must go... "A minor masterpiece that should usher Brooke at last into the recognized front ranks of SF writers" (Locus)

Danny is terrified of being like his father, who ended up in prison after a night of savage violence. But then he finds his father's diary and uncovers his dark thoughts - and even darker secrets. Who was whispering to his father, goading him, leading him on? And what if they are coming back for Danny? "The king of children's horror..."Sunday Express

Matt's home life is falling to pieces as his mother seeks refuge from divorce by returning to the seaside town where she grew up. Separated from his friends, bored and discontented, Matt gradually becomes aware that his mother's family are the keepers of a terrifying secret. "Another great teen thriller." Spot On

Transported to a world inhabited by vampires, Ben befriends a girl called Rachel. She takes him to her farm to prove she's not like the other vampires, but that's when he discovers a terrible secret. And why is the book called Piggies? That's the worst horror of all. "Ingenious... this chilling story reads with all the power and demented logic of a thoroughly bad dream." The Independent

The descendants of Expatria's first colonists from Earth have rejected technology. When Mathias Hanrahan joins a team trying to relearn the ancient technologies, against a background of impending war, he discovers that strange messages are coming from space.

Arrival of the recontact mission from the Holy Corporation of GenGen on the formerly-lost colony world Expatria further complicates an already murderously complex web of religious and political intrigue. For some, it looks like salvation from a backward-looking, superstition-ridden society; for others, it looks suspiciously like an invasion.

Jed Brindle is an alien. At least, that's what they call him on Earth. He's really a colony-bred soldier - augmented with cyborg implants - with the Extraterran Peacekeeping Force, fighting for control of what used to be the United States.